[mythtv-users] How to repair mysql?

[Mike Perkins]

On 10/03/13 17:53, UB40D wrote:
>
> (snipped install/deinstall steps)
>
> --------------------------
> What other hope have I got?
>
> I would have thought that if dpkg -P really gets rid of the packages (which
> it seems to) then it shouldn't be such a big deal just to install mysql on
> an allegedly clean system, right? What am I doing wrong here?
> ---------------------------
>
I've only been following this with half an eye as I have *never* had a problem 
installing mysql, but I'd like to offer the following:

mysql-server is a "meta" package which will pick up the current release of 
mysql. On installation it will pull in the correct programs and libraries (ie 
mysql-server-5.5) but it will also install the meta package itself, which 
probably contains very little. This is so that the whole lot can be removed by 
just removing the meta-package.

Your installation seems to fail attempting to configure the server. Now, exactly 
/what/ it is doing I don't know, but your subseqent attempts to run mysql won't 
work because the server isn't running (can't find socket).

Since you have gone over this several times with more or less the same results 
I'm beginning to wonder if you have a file, files or directory which the 
installation process needs to write to but can't. That might explain this:

Setting up mysql-server-5.5 (5.5.29-0ubuntu0.12.10.1) ...
start: Job failed to start
invoke-rc.d: initscript mysql, action "start" failed.
dpkg: error processing mysql-server-5.5 (--configure):
  subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1

First of all, attempt to uninstall everything so that in theory you have a fresh 
system to start from. Then, look around your file system for remaining files: 
try /var/lib/mysql, /var/run/mysql, /var/log/mysql and /etc/mysql but there may 
be other locations. If you find any files in these directories it is possible 
that they may have the wrong permissions and are blocking the installation.

(Of course, if you had a previous mythtv database, I'm assuming you have a 
suitable backup already?)

Also look at /etc/init.d/mysql and see what the "start" option references. See 
if you can determine what it wants to do and why it fails.

-- 

Mike Perkins